The present invention relates to a stabilizer incorporated in the suspension system of a vehicle, and more particularly to a means for mounting a stabilizer to the frame of a vehicle.
A stabilizer incorporated in the suspension system of a vehicle is generally a sort of torsion bar element formed of a rod member which is bent into a U-shape or staple-like shape. The stabilizer is mounted to the frame of the vehicle by means of a mounting means which comprises a generally tubular cushion member made of a rubber material and having a through bore or hole for receiving the straight central portion of the stabilizer, and a bracket member having a U-shaped strap portion and mounting flange portions provided at its opposite sides, and which is adapted to be fixed to the frame of the vehicle, for example by bolts, with said tubular cushion member being straddled and gripped by said U-shaped strap portion. The stabilizer is further fixedly attached to the right and left lower control arms of the vehicle suspension at its opposite ends, and serves to provide a force tending to equalize the heights of the lower control arms and thus tending to prevent excessive rolling of the vehicle. Insertion of such a tubular cushion member or rubber bushing in the mounting of the stabilizer to the frame with a bracket member as stated above, adds softness to the action of the stabilizer and is essential for providing the desirable soft ride. However, since such a stabilizer attachment means is usually fixed to the exposed part of the vehicle which is, during driving, exposed to dirt and material such as mud, sand or the like, it suffers from the problem that contaminants may enter between the inner surface of the through bore formed in the tubular cushion member and the outer surface of the main straight portion of the stabilizer thereby undesirably causing the mating portions thereof to wear out prematurely. Furthermore, while such wear or abrasion does not greatly reduce the safety of a vehicle employing a conventional suspension system wherein control strut bars are connected between the lower control arms and the frame to ensure the operational stability of the arms, it can cause serious safety problems in a vehicle employing a suspension system wherein the stabilizer is connected to the lower control arms which are not provided with control strut bars, and is adapted to serve as both stabilizer and control strut bars. Although one solution to the above-mentioned problem is to increase the fastening load applied to the tubular cushion member by the bracket member so as to prevent the entry of the contaminants, increase in the fastening load may induce the problem that the elasticity inherent to the cushion member is adversely affected, resulting in an uncomfortably hard ride.